


Streamers & Dragons

by Night_the_Dragon



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alpha!Mark, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Anal Sex, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Claiming Bites, Fluff and Smut, Knotting, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mpreg, Omega!Jack
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:34:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24182944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Night_the_Dragon/pseuds/Night_the_Dragon
Summary: Having a dragon as a friend and protector is great when you're an omega. When that dragon is incredibly powerful, that's a bonus. Even if he's only a foot and a half tall, but at least he's travel-sized. Jack has always considered himself average, other than his secret of a dragon and being a famous youtuber, so he's very surprised and excited when he becomes close friends with Mark, and is even more excited when he meets the man in person for PAX. However, both men have their secrets, and when all hell breaks loose, secrets are revealed and bonds are forged.
Relationships: Mark Fischbach/Sean McLoughlin, Markiplier/Jacksepticeye, Septiplier
Comments: 26
Kudos: 57





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay! So, I know I'm late as hell for the Septiplier ship, but eh. I only discovered it when I found pics on Pinterest, and me being the overly curious person I am...I did some "research". And now, the result of my imagination running away and finding a plot bunny that multiplied into a plot rabbit family of six. -waves hands awkwardly at the fic-  
> ALSO!!! I'm very well aware that the timeline for this is all over the place, but hey, it's fan fiction. It can be what I want it to be.

Jack laughed loudly as he watched Mark’s character get stuck in a trap and then brutally killed in the game they were playing together, accompanied by Mark’s scream of dismay.

“Oh, come the fuck on!” Mark cried out in exasperation, Jack’s laughter filtering through his headphones. “Don’t laugh at that, Jack!” he whined.

“Too late, Markimoo!” the Irishman quipped as his laughter died down to chuckles. “You’re terrible at this game!”

“Says the one who freaked the actual fuck out playing the Kill It With Fire demo,” Mark snickered, and Jack gave an indignant squawk.

“Spiders are not cool, dammit! They’re creepy as fuck!” Jack protested.

“Okay, I’ll agree with you there,” the alpha conceded with a chuckle. “Little fuckers really shouldn’t exist.”

“Agreed,” the omega hummed with a small smile. “Well, since ya clearly suck ass at this game, how about we play somethin’ else?”

“I do not suck ass at it!” Mark protested, pouting before he suggested, “How about Uno?”

“Awww, you’re not invitin’ anyone but me to play? I feel so special, Markimoo,” Jack teased. “Just try not to let Puddin’ win this time, though, yeah?”

“I still can’t believe that fucking AI won that last round,” Mark groaned. “But yes, it’s just you and me, Jackaboy.” Jack felt his heart flutter a bit at the nickname, just like every single other time Mark called him that.

“All right, let’s play!” the Irishman crowed, trying to cover up how flustered he was. As they started to play, Mark began to make casual conversation.

“So, are you excited for PAX?” Mark asked, and Jack nodded eagerly.

“Hell yeah! Lookin’ forward to meetin’ you and the others in person finally,” he smiled.

“Same here. If only PAX was here in LA this time, then you wouldn’t need a hotel room. I’d make you stay at my place,” the alpha chuckled. “After all, no need for a hotel when I have a perfectly good spare bedroom.”

“Seriously?” Jack blinked, surprised, as he hadn’t expected that.

“Well, yeah. I live alone, but I enjoy having company,” Mark shrugged. “It’d be a nice change of pace to have you out here for a bit. Maybe another time, though, yeah?”

“I’d like that,” the omega smiled, despite the feeling of nervousness that ran through him briefly. “Still, ya’d have to buy me dinner first.”

“Hey, I’m nothing if not a gentleman!” Mark exclaimed. “I’d do one better by _making_ you dinner!” Jack felt a flush creeping up his neck, and he hoped beyond hope Mark wouldn’t see it. Clearing his throat a little, Jack rolled his eyes.

“I’m flattered, Markimoo,” he chuckled. “Let’s see how PAX goes first, and not get too ahead of ourselves, hm?”

“Party pooper,” the other man pouted, before yelping when Jack put down his last card, and hence, won the round. “What the fuck?! Did you even click Uno?!”

“Yep! Ya just weren’t payin’ attention~” Jack smirked.

“DAMMIT,” Mark grumbled. “Well, this is better than last time, I guess.”

“I know, I didn’t win a single fuckin’ round last damn time, don’t remind me!” Jack whined, making Mark laugh.

“Well, I hate to cut the fun short, but I need to make some lunch. I’m starving…” Mark complained.

“No worries, I should get some dinner in my stomach, too,” the Irishman shrugged. “Talk to ya soon?”

“Of course, Jackaboy. I’ll even call you before your flight,” the alpha smiled warmly, and Jack’s heart clenched at the sight and words.

“If you’re even awake by then,” he managed to say teasingly, and Mark pouted.

“I’ll make sure to be up!” he exclaimed, before calming down and smiling at Jack. “Talk to you soon, Jack.” And then he signed off. As soon as Jack turned the camera off, he felt the familiar presence of Night, his small dragon companion, as the silver reptile hopped down from his high perch where the camera wouldn’t see him, landing lightly on Jack’s shoulder.

“Well, you had fun with your crush, hm?” Night hummed, giving a soft chuckle when Jack blushed.

“I can’t deny it with ya, since ya’d get the answer anyway, but yes, I did,” the omega mumbled, lightly running his fingers along his friend’s plated silver armor, drawing a small purr from him.

“Nothing wrong with liking him the way you do, Jack,” the dragon murmured calmly. “He’s clearly a very nice guy, despite his raging with some games.” He paused for a moment, and then added, “And he’d make a good alpha for you.”

“And how d’ya know that without havin’ met him in person, huh?” Jack asked, quirking a brow as he stood up to get some food in him, the motion not jarring Night in the slightest.

“Based off of what I’ve seen of the videos you’ve watched of him and your interactions and flirting with him, I’m making a safe guess,” Night shrugged. “I guess the truth will be revealed when you meet at PAX.”

“I just hope nothin’ happens with some stupid knotheads,” the Irishman griped when he got to the kitchen, fishing out some leftover pizza from the fridge.

“You know I won’t let anything happen to you, same as always,” Night reminded him.

“I know, but it’ll be difficult with all the people around…” Jack pointed out.

“I’ll make it work.”

“I know ya will. Ya always do…” Jack murmured as he heated up the pizza. Once again, he was reminded of how he’d chosen to take the risk when he came out as an omega in his early teens, knowing Night would protect him, no matter what. And he had, chasing off and sometimes attacking alphas that would prey on lone omegas. The dragon had always been protective of him, even when Night was still a hatchling himself.

Jack had found Night as a silver egg about half the size of a soccer ball by the river near his childhood home when he was three years old, and the dragon had hatched upon Jack touching the egg. The pair had formed an immediate bond, and over the years, Night had remained unknown to everyone but Jack. No one knew he existed, and that was how it had always been. The dragon had regained bits and pieces of memories of his old life over time, and once Jack was 18 and had moved out, his memory had completely returned. As it had turned out, Night had been reborn as an egg after his home realm was destroyed in a massive war. Despite Jack’s sadness at hearing the story, Night assured him it was in the past, and he was happy now with Jack.

Despite Night staying hidden from everyone but Jack, he was able to keep the Irishman safe at all times. He would shapeshift into different animals to be with and protect his friend, and could control the elements at will. Another trait that helped the pair was Night’s telepathy. The dragon could cast out his telepathy like an invisible net to communicate or read minds over a certain distance, or he could make direct connections to those he wanted to listen to or communicate with. It was very helpful when Jack needed to talk to him without actually speaking, like when in public or around others.

The beep of the microwave snapped the omega out of his thoughts, and he got out his pizza before going to sit on the couch. He turned on the TV to Hulu and selected a show he’d been catching up on before settling back and beginning to eat. Night curled around his neck and shoulders as he got comfortable, his mere presence a soothing one for Jack.

“Oh yeah, how’re ya gonna fly with me to PAX, anyway?” Jack asked suddenly, looking at Night as his pure silver eyes blinked open. Apparently, he’d been about to drift to sleep.

“I’ll just fly alongside. It’ll be good to fly for a long period like that,” he shrugged. “I don’t get to do it enough. Need to spread my wings like that.” He chuckled softly at his small joke.

“As long as you’re careful, then,” the omega sighed.

“Always.”

Eventually, Jack finished his pizza off, and then headed off to get ready for bed. By the time he crawled into bed after brushing his teeth and changing into a pair of pajama bottoms and going shirtless, Night was fast asleep, curled up next to Jack’s pillow. The Irishman smiled softly at the sight, carefully shifting a bit to get comfortable before falling asleep himself.

X*X*X*X*X*X*X

The morning of Jack’s flight, he was, admittedly, jittery with nerves. Both about flying for that long to get to the U.S., and about meeting Mark in person. He had fanboyed over the alpha for a while before starting his own YouTube channel, and becoming friends with him was a dream come true. Meeting him in person, though? Even better.

“You got everything?” Night asked from where he was perched on the footboard, seeing Jack’s hands shaking a little with his nerves.

“Yeah, I do.”

“What about your suppressants?”

“…Shit! Jack hurriedly dashed to the bathroom to retrieve the little bottle of pills, and quickly stuck it into his toiletries bag after taking one of the small pills. “God damn, what would I do without ya, huh?”

“I dunno. You’d probably be pretty lost,” the dragon teased, before blinking when Jack’s phone went off with a FaceTime call. “That must be Mark.”

“Sure is,” the Irishman chuckled, answering the phone as Night hid under the bed. “Heya Markimoo~” he greeted with an amused smile at Mark’s appearance. He was clearly still tired, his red hair mussed from sleep, no glasses on, and his brown eyes still murky with sleep.

“Morning, Jackaboy,” the alpha chuckled, before yawning and then speaking again. “I kept my word.”

“That ya did,” Jack nodded. “Did ya really just wake up to call me?”

“Yeah, I don’t have to be up for another few hours, but I wanted to keep my promise,” Mark shrugged, and that was when Jack realized the other man was shirtless, making the younger man pause for a second.

“Ya didn’t have to… Your sleep’s important,” Jack pointed out after a second.

“It’s fine. I’ll sleep at the hotel later,” the older man replied dismissively. “But I wanted to tell you safe travels, and I’ll see you later, okay?”

“Thank ya, Mark,” Jack smiled lightly. “Same goes for ya. I’ll see ya later.” Mark yawned widely again, making the Irishman chuckle. “Get some more sleep, kay?”

“Planning on it,” the alpha groaned. “See you, Jackaboy.”

“See ya, Markimoo,” the omega smiled, before hanging up. Night emerged from under the bed.

“Well, let’s get this show on the road, yeah? And maybe the flight will be a bit shorter,” he chuckled.

“I hope so…” Jack muttered, grabbing his suitcase and carry-on before heading out, Night shifting into a mouse and hiding out in his hoodie pocket.

‘ _All right, so my plan is that once you get close to the bag check and what not, I’ll take off from your pocket to wait for you to finish. Once you’re through, I’ll rejoin you. Don’t worry about any particular spot, since I’ll catch up easily,_ ’ Night explained as Jack got into the taxi waiting for him. ‘ _Once it’s time for you to board, I’ll wait until you’re almost inside, then get outside and hide out until the plane takes off. You know I’ll be able to keep up._ ’

‘ _Are ya sure you can’t ride with me in the plane…?_ ’ Jack asked nervously through the connection. ‘ _This’ll be a long-ass flight, and I’d rather have ya with me to calm me down…_ ’

‘ _I can do that,_ ’ Night assured him. ‘ _Whatever helps you._ ’

‘ _Thanks, Night,_ ’ the Irishman thought gratefully.

‘ _Anytime, my friend._ ’

When they arrived at the airport, everything went smoothly. Night wasn’t spotted or detected by anyone or anything, and soon rejoined with Jack after he went through the security check. Soon enough, the call to board for Jack’s flight sounded, and the omega remained calm as he boarded, getting comfortable in his seat. Surprisingly, no one was seated next to him, even at the last call, leaving him to sit alone as the door was shut and sealed.

‘ _You’re welcome,_ ’ Night smirked, his thin mouse tail flicking lightly in his hoodie pocket.

‘ _I’d ask how ya managed that one, but I’m not sure I wanna know,_ ’ Jack thought back with a small snort.

‘ _Don’t worry so much. Just relax and get some rest, kay?_ ’

‘ _I’ll try…_ ’

‘ _I’ll be right here the whole time._ ’

‘ _Right…_ ’

Sure enough, Jack was able to sleep, and when he woke up, it was to the landing announcement. He buckled his seatbelt, groaning quietly as he stretched out his arms with a yawn.

‘ _Have a nice nap?_ ’ Night asked kindly.

‘ _Surprisingly, yeah. I’m surprised I slept through the whole flight…_ ’ Jack admitted.

‘ _Hey, you needed the sleep. I’m glad you did sleep,_ ’ his friend replied, a smile in his voice.

‘ _Same._ ’ They stopped conversing, however, as the plane began its descent, landing smoothly on the tarmac and stopping at the terminal that the passengers were to enter the new airport through. Jack was relieved once it was over, and got his carry-on bag before exiting. He was finally in Boston, and felt his nerves spikes up at the thought of seeing Mark soon. He turned off airplane mode on his phone, and began to head to the baggage claim, and was surprised when his phone chirped, signaling a text.

Markimoo: Hey, I’m at the airport! Got my luggage, too! Are you here yet?! :D

Jack chuckled softly, despite his flare of nerves again.

Me: Yeah, I am, ya big doof. I’m at baggage claim, waiting for my suitcase.

He hadn’t even gotten to hit send before he was swiftly tackled in a firm hug, accompanied by a familiar voice practically shrieking, “JACKABOY!!!”

“Gah!! M-Mark?!” the Irishman yelped, clearly caught off guard. He could feel himself blushing brightly.

“In the flesh~!” the alpha’s voice sang cheerily, squeezing Jack briefly before letting go. The older man was grinning widely as he pulled back to look at the omega properly.

‘ _Try to squish me, why don’t ya…_ ’ Night grumbled in his pocket, only Jack hearing him.

“I hadn’t even hit send yet! How’d ya find me so fast?” the Irishman questioned; his crystalline blue eyes were still wide from shock.

“I’d recognize that green hair anywhere, Jackaboy,” Mark smirked, and Jack rolled his eyes.

“Well, at least I’ll be able to pick ya out of the crowd at PAX, Markimoo,” he snorted, making the alpha laugh.

“Have you gotten your bag yet?” he asked, slinging an arm over Jack’s shoulders.

“Not yet,” the Irishman replied, before spotting his suitcase and tugging it off the carousel. “Now I do.”

“Well, let’s get going to the hotel then, yeah?” Mark grinned. “I got a rental car.”

“Good, now I can save some money by not takin’ a taxi,” Jack chuckled, and Mark joined in before leading the younger man with him outside. “How was your flight?” he asked as they walked to the rental.

“It was fine, just a bit tired from jetlag, though,” Mark admitted. “How about yours?”

“I actually managed to sleep through the whole thing,” the omega told him. “Thought I’d be too nervous too, but I guess exhaustion took over.”

“Well, at least you weren’t too nervous and shit,” the older man pointed out.

“True.” They then reached the rental car, and before Jack could pick up his suitcase to load into the truck, Mark beat him to it, heaving the luggage in without a fuss. Despite Jack’s pout, Mark merely gave him a cheeky grin before they got into the car. Once out on the road and on their way to the hotel, Jack gazed out the window while Mark hummed along with the radio.

‘ _Well, other than me getting squished a bit, that was a rather amusing meeting,_ ’ Night thought with a snicker.

‘ _Shut it…_ ’ Jack grumbled. ‘ _I guess that means things’ll go well, huh?_ ’

‘ _I’d like to think so. He’s very affectionate, at least._ ’ The comment made Jack blush faintly, but he ignored Night as they soon pulled into the hotel’s parking lot. Mark parked as close to the entrance as he could, considering how full the parking lot was, and while Jack slung his backpack (which had acted as his carry-on) on his back, Mark had hurried to the trunk and grabbed both of their suitcases to bring in.

“I can get my own suitcase, Mark…” Jack protested when he saw.

“Aww, come on, Jack! Just let me, please?” the alpha pleaded with puppy dog eyes. Jack cracked at the look, before huffing a little.

“Fine, but try not to make it a habit, please? I can do stuff on my own,” he pouted.

“No promises there, Jackaboy~” Mark grinned while they headed inside the hotel. Both men got checked in, and surprisingly, their rooms were right next to each other.

“Well that’s convenient,” Jack commented as they headed to the elevator to get settled in their respective rooms.

‘ _Hey, it wasn’t me this time, I promise,_ ’ Night defended himself. ‘ _I couldn’t have managed that one if I tried._ ’

“At least we’re close to each other,” Mark smiled before Jack could reply to Night. They soon arrived at their floor, and Mark led the way to the appropriate rooms. When they reached them, Jack took the handle of his suitcase when Mark offered it to him, and smiled kindly at him as he unlocked his room.

“Lemme get settled, and maybe we can hang out before dinner, yeah?” Jack offered.

“Sounds good. Text me when you’re good, and I’ll be right over,” the alpha nodded with a small grin. “See ya~” And with that, Mark went into his own room, letting the door close behind him. Jack then went into his own room, and as soon as the door was closed and locked with the chain, Night emerged from Jack’s hoodie pocket, shifting back quickly before grabbing a square of toilet paper from the bathroom and jumping up to stuff it into the peephole. He left enough of the toilet paper out so that it could be tugged out later on, though.

“What’s that for?” the Irishman asked, quirking a brow.

“I’d heard of people spying in hotel rooms through the peephole by removing the glass from it, so I figured it would be best to not take chances,” Night shrugged, before stretching out like a cat. “Gah… Spent _way_ too long like that…” he grumbled, stretching each limb and finishing by stretching out his slender wings.

“I know, and I’m sorry for havin’ ya stay with me the whole time…” Jack apologized.

“…You know I’d rather you be comfortable and I get stiff muscles than you be uncomfortable without me,” Night reminded him with a pointed look. “Look, just focus on getting settled in for now, that way you and Mark can hang for a bit before dinner. After all, depending on what you wear while out, then I’ll have to figure out how to hide with you without being squashed.”

“Right,” Jack chuckled. “I’m just surprised I didn’t see any of Mark’s friends yet…”

“Maybe they have later flights? I dunno… You could ask him.”

“I will in a bit. Lemme just rest for a few…” the omega sighed, flopping onto his side on the bed after toeing off his shoes and pulling his phone out to sit on the nightstand. Not long after, the Irishman’s eyes drifted closed, and his breathing evened out as he fell asleep. Night jumped up onto the bed with his friend, curling up by his side as he kept watch, both for intruders and on the time.

After a couple of hours, Night gently woke Jack with a nudge to his cheek, and murmured, “Best get up, Jack. It’s been two hours.”

“Ugh…” Jack groaned as he pushed up, feeling a little sore from having fallen asleep in his day clothes. “What time is it…?”

“A little after 4,” the silver dragon answered. “You got a text earlier from Mark, but I didn’t check it, obviously. But it’s only been about six or seven minutes since you got it.”

“Dammit, probably wonderin’ if I’m okay…” the omega sighed, before snagging up his phone and checking the text.

Markimoo: You okay, Jack? Just making sure since I haven’t heard from you yet. Wanted to give you a chance to answer before I come to the door and knock.

Jack quickly looked at the time he’d gotten the text, and saw it had almost been ten minutes since Mark had texted him, before his eyes widened owlishly when there was a knock on the door.

“Jack? You okay in there?” Mark’s voice called through it.

‘ _Better answer,_ ’ Night pointed out, before shifting into a mouse and hiding behind the bed frame. Jack sighed quietly, before getting up and opening the door to let Mark in. The alpha’s expression was immensely relieved once Jack opened the door.

“Sorry, Mark, I fell asleep for a bit… I just woke up and read your text right before ya knocked,” the Irishman apologized.

“Ah shit, sorry… Guess I was just worried since I thought you would text me sooner…” Mark explained sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“It’s all right. Might as well come in,” Jack smiled, stepping aside to let the older man into his room.

Once the door shut, Mark asked, “Why’d you have the chain up, by the way?”

“For my own security and safety,” Jack replied, giving a one-shouldered shrug. “I don’t want anyone tryin’ to break in just to get some omega ass.”

“Right, sorry…” Mark apologized. “I forget sometimes, to be honest…”

“Really? I haven’t exactly hidden my status,” Jack said as he tugged his hoodie off, his shirt nearly coming off with it. As soon as his hoodie was off, he quickly pulled his t-shirt back down, catching the faintest blush on Mark’s face, but he didn’t say anything.

“Well, it’s not like you take time from your channel to deal with your heats,” the alpha replied after a couple seconds.

“It’s called suppressants, Mark,” the younger man teased with a chuckle. “Haven’t ever had a heat cuz of ‘em.” Mark looked surprised at that, but he smiled, a relieved look in his eyes for some reason.

“That’s good,” he nodded. “At least you won’t need to worry about having a heat during the con, then.”

“Don’t jinx it, goddammit,” Jack grumbled, pointing at him accusingly as he sifted through his suitcase to pull out his toiletries bag. “I’ve heard of suppressants failin’ at times. Rarely, but it can happen.”

“Then we’ll just have to keep our fingers crossed, hm?” Mark chuckled.

“That we will.”

“…Hey, if anything happens, I’ll keep any fucking stupid knotheads away from you. I’d rather go with blue balls and keep you safe than see you hurt,” the alpha said after a few seconds, startling Jack badly enough into nearly dropping his laptop.

“Ya mean that…?” he breathed, looking at Mark with wide, crystalline blue eyes.

“Of course, Jack,” the older man smiled warmly. “I would never want to see you hurt.” Jack bit his lip at the words, very pleasantly surprised. He hadn’t expected that from Mark, considering this was their first time meeting together in person, but he was glad.

‘ _Give him a hug, dammit!_ ’ Night hissed through their connection. Jack wished he could roll his eyes or stick his tongue out at the dragon for the remark, but he couldn’t without seeming weird. So, he followed through with the suggestion, setting his laptop on the desk and hugging Mark in thanks.

“…That means more than ya know, Mark…” he mumbled against his shoulder.

“Anytime, Jackaboy, anytime,” the older man chuckled. When they parted, Jack suddenly remembered his prior question from before he fell asleep.

“Oh yeah, where are Bob, Wade, and everyone else?” he asked.

“I’m not sure about the others, but Bob and Wade both caught a stupid stomach bug that wouldn’t allow them to be without a bathroom close by for long,” Mark answered. “I told them to keep me updated, but they’re pretty tired.”

“Well, hopefully it passes soon,” Jack frowned worriedly.

“Ah, they’re tough. Mandy and Molly are taking care of them, so that helps,” the older man assured him. “So, since it’ll probably just me you and me for dinner tonight, what do you feel like doing for dinner?”

“Nothin’ too major, honestly…” Jack admitted. “I’d rather not have a fuckin’ hangover tomorrow mornin’, so I’m not drinkin’ tonight.”

“The Irishman isn’t gonna drink?!” Mark gasped dramatically as he dropped to his knees. “The world’s coming to an end!” Jack laughed loudly at the joke.

“You’re such a dumbass, Markimoo,” the omega snorted. “Maybe another night, but not while the con’s goin’ on.” He wasn’t about to mention how he didn’t feel safe not drinking at home.

“Hey, being a dumbass is worth it to make you laugh, Jackaboy,” the alpha grinned as he stood back up. “Your laugh is infectious.” Jack paused, unsure how to respond to the compliment, before he finally rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

“How about we just order in some pizza? We can eat together in your room or mine,” he finally offered.

‘ _Not in his, we’re staying in here,_ ’ Night growled. ‘ _I can’t hide in his room without being noticed._ ’

“That sounds good,” Mark nodded with a smile. “Your room or mine?”

“I’d prefer my room, if that’s okay?” Jack replied, gaining a sheepish look.

“Whatever makes you more comfortable, Jack,” the older man assured him. “I’ll buy, though, no arguing. What kind of pizza do you want?”

“…Pineapple and salami…” the younger man grumbled out finally, giving Mark a bit of stink-eye. “Don’t make that a habit.”

“I know not what you speak of,” Mark laughed, before heading out to leave back to his room. “I’ll call in the order, just get in some comfortable clothes for now.”

“Will do, Markimoo,” Jack chuckled, and once the door shut, Night re-emerged from hiding, shifting back once he had the space.

“Well, that went well,” he commented.

“Oh, shut up,” the omega muttered, smiling like a goofball before he made to change into some pajama bottoms and a different t-shirt. He soon settled on the bed again once he was comfortable and the TV was on, Night lying down in his lap as Jack lightly ran his fingers along the plated armor on the dragon’s head, drawing a quiet purr from the reptile.

“To this day, I still don’t understand how ya can purr. I’ve never heard of purrin’ reptiles,” Jack chuckled, and Night gave him an amused look.

“Well, considering my shifting capabilities…” he shrugged. “It’s not impossible.”

“Fair,” the Irishman conceded with a small smile. After about 30 minutes, there was a knock at the door, and Night stilled, focusing for a second.

“It’s Mark,” he told Jack, before sliding off and shifting into a mouse and hiding in the nightstand’s drawer as Jack closed it before going to let Mark in.

“Hey, Markimoo,” he greeted with a chuckle as he opened the door.

“Hey yourself, Jackaboy,” Mark grinned, walking in with the pizzas and setting them on the desk as Jack shut and chained the door again. “Your pizza smells weird, though.”

“Don’t judge my taste in pizza!” Jack huffed, snagging his box of pizza, marked with a “J”. “It’s always been my favorite.”

“No judgement here,” the older man chuckled, grabbing his own pizza before both men settled on the bed. “Just hadn’t heard of anyone getting that combo before.”

“Better than pickles and peanut butter on a pizza,” the omega snorted, cringing at the thought.

“Eugh, yeah, I’ve heard of some people doing that…” Mark muttered, shuddering as well. “So, whatcha watching?”

“Dunno, wasn’t really paying attention,” Jack admitted, and Mark laughed a little.

“Well, I brought a little something that I like to use in hotels,” he smirked, fishing out what looked like a flash drive with an HDMI plug instead of a USB plug from his pocket with a small remote. “It’s a Roku, and it allows me to stream shows and stuff when I’m not at home.”

“I’ve heard of ‘em,” the younger man nodded. “Did ya have somethin’ in particular ya wanted to watch?”

“I was actually going to let you pick,” Mark replied as he got it set up on the TV.

“Well, in that case…” Jack murmured, gaining an evil grin as he snatched up the remote once the Roku was set up. “I know _exactly_ what I wanna watch.”

“Oh fuck… I’m not gonna like it, am I?” the alpha groaned.

“Guess we’ll see~” Jack opened up YouTube with the Roku, and quickly went to Mark’s channel, pulling up one of his favorite videos to watch from him: Five Nights at Freddy’s Reaction Compilation.

“Oh god dammit…” Mark mumbled, quickly taking a bite of his pizza. It was obvious he was fighting off an embarrassed blush. It wasn’t too long of a video, but Jack was laughing his ass off the entire time. Mark’s reactions throughout the video were priceless, and it was impossible NOT to laugh at them.

“How are ya the King of Five Nights at Freddy’s again?” Jack laughed when the video ended, wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes. He took a bite of his pizza when he finished speaking, honestly surprised he hadn’t choked on any while watching the video.

“It took time, but I got there!” Mark pouted. “It wasn’t an instant thing, after all.”

“I’m just teasin’ ya, Markimoo,” the Irishman snickered, before handing Mark the remote. “Just to make it fair, we can watch one of mine.”

“Well, your version of the one I wanna watch is too short, sooo…” Mark smirked, going to the video of the Uno game he and Jack had played with pok1mane.

“Oh, come on!!” Jack whined, laughing. “That’s not a proud moment for me!”

“More like it’s not a proud 55 minutes for you,” the older man chuckled.

“Fuck…” the omega grumbled, but continued eating his pizza, unable to resist laughing throughout most of the video. “I see why ya edit in the little snippets of subtitles.”

“Makes it funnier,” Mark grinned.

“Agreed.”

Once the video finished, Jack yawned, his stomach full from his pizza and making him sleepy.

“I’ll head out so you can sleep, Jack,” Mark smiled softly as he slid off the bed, taking the pizza boxes with him.

“Kay,” the younger man nodded slowly, getting up so he could put the chain back in place once Mark left. “G’night, Mark,” he said with a lazy grin as Mark stepped into the hallway.

“Goodnight, Jack. See you in the morning,” the alpha replied with a warm smile before going to his room. As soon as Jack shut the door and slid the chain in place, Night emerged from the drawer, already shifted back.

“C’mon, Jack. You need sleep,” the silver dragon urged, even as his companion flopped onto the bed. Night helped get him tucked in so he wasn’t sleeping sideways on the bed, before curling up by his pillow. “Goodnight, Jack.”

“G’night…” Jack mumbled, quickly drifting off.


	2. Chapter 2

When Jack woke up in the morning, he felt a bit of stickiness both at his crotch and along his ass. He almost didn’t understand, before he yelped loudly as he quickly sat up in bed, horrified. He’d had a wet dream, vaguely remembering it was about Mark, and realizing he must have cum and produced slick in response to it.

Night was already awake, and he didn’t jump in the slightest at his friend’s alarm, but he did dart to the bathroom before he was suddenly back on the bed, holding a damp washcloth in his teeth. Jack took the washcloth from the dragon, his face burning, before turning away to clean himself up a bit. He knew he’d have to shower for sure, both to rid himself of the smell and so he could clean up the cum and slick properly.

The silver dragon at least gave Jack a little privacy, heading back to the bathroom to get the omega’s soap and shampoo out for him. He soon poked his head out of the bathroom to make sure Jack was done wiping himself down before going to his side.

“Sorry I didn’t wake you sooner…” he apologized. “I figured you’d freak out either way…”

“It’s…it’s okay…” Jack mumbled, before groaning and dragging his hand over his face. “God dammit… I hope this doesn’t fuck things up today…”

“I highly doubt it will,” Night assured him, flicking the end of his tail in thought. “The most that would happen is you might be awkward around Mark, but that’d be it.”

“That’s still fuckin’ huge…” the Irishman groaned, before heaving himself off the bed. “I’d better shower so I don’t smell like sex…”

“Well, I know Mark wouldn’t mind,” the dragon grinned cheekily, even as Jack threw him a glare before shutting the door to the bathroom behind himself. While Jack washed himself thoroughly, that way he didn’t smell of slick or cum, he bit his lip nervously.

He had already admitted to himself and come to terms with the fact that he was in love with Mark, and had been since they became friends. There was simply no denying that the alpha was fucking gorgeous, and he was an amazing person with a great personality, to boot. After all, no one wants a pretty gift if there’s shit inside it. What made things tricky for him was he didn’t know if Mark felt the same for him. Yeah, the older man doted on him very much, even though they had only met in person for the first time yesterday, but Mark is an incredibly caring individual as it is. Still, Jack couldn’t help but hope, especially since Mark had promised to protect him from any unwanted alphas.

The other reason as to why he would hesitate to say anything is Night. Jack couldn’t imagine what he’d do without Night, but he had a bad feeling that when Mark discovers the dragon (as it was bound to happen), things might go south. He didn’t want Night put in harm’s way if Mark was to say something to someone about the dragon. God forbid…

Sighing quietly, Jack rinsed himself off completely, before turning off the shower and beginning to dry himself off when he stepped out. Once he was dry, he pulled on the clothes Night had kindly left for him on the toilet lid, since Jack had forgotten to grab some before hurrying into the bathroom earlier. He then took his suppressant, and stepped out of the bathroom.

“Better?” Night asked from the windowsill, having been looking outside.

“Much,” the omega nodded. “Need some breakfast and coffee, though…”

“Well, let’s go down and get you some food. I’m sure Mark’s waiting for you to come out,” the dragon chuckled. When Jack grabbed a drawstring backpack with the word BOSS on it from his suitcase, he opened it so Night could hide out in there as a mouse again, which his friend did. The Irishman carefully placed his wallet and a couple little things in there so as not to make it seem like he was hiding a mouse in there, and then grabbed his phone and card key before heading out of his room.

‘ _Huh. I thought he was out here…_ ’ Night murmured, going quiet for a few seconds as he used his telepathy to locate him. ‘ _Ah. He went back into his room for something. Maybe you could give him a little jump scare of your own, hm?_ ’

‘ _Good idea,_ ’ Jack smirked, and waited by the table next to Mark’s room door, crouched down so the alpha wouldn’t immediately see him. When Mark opened his door and came out, fully dressed for the day, the younger man shot out of hiding with a loud shout, and the alpha damn near shot through the ceiling with a terrified shriek. Jack burst out laughing at the reaction, unable to help himself, as Mark pouted.

“That’s a shitty way to say good morning!” he whined.

“I couldn’t resist, Markimoo!” the omega giggled, sobering after a bit. “Good mornin’~!”

“Good morning to you, too, Jackaboy,” the older man replied, rolling his eyes with a smile. “You’re such a shit.”

“Hey, considerin’ I haven’t had my mornin’ coffee yet, you’re lucky I’m as perky as I am,” Jack grinned as they headed down to the breakfast hall.

“Which I’m shocked to hear,” Mark snorted in amusement. “You practically _live_ off coffee.”

“Nothin’ wrong with that,” the Irishman smirked. “Stick me with a coffee IV and I’ll live.” Mark laughed at that. When they got to the breakfast hall, Jack made a beeline for the coffee, taking a sip once his cup was full and humming contently at the taste.

“C’mon, Jack, you need actual food in you to function today,” Mark chuckled as he started filling his plate with food.

“I know,” Jack smiled, joining Mark and picking a few things to put on his plate for breakfast. When the two sat down at a table to eat, Jack ate at a steady pace, pausing on occasion to sip at his coffee, loving the heat as the hot liquid pooled in his stomach. He could feel Mark’s gaze on him every now and then when the younger man wasn’t looking, but ignored it for now.

“Looking forward to the panel together?” Mark asked when they were almost done eating.

“Definitely. I’m sure the fans will be excited as hell, too,” Jack smiled, finishing off his coffee with a hum. “Good fuckin’ god, I needed that.”

“I’ll bet,” the alpha laughed lightly, before finishing his plate and swallowing. “Ready to head out?” Jack nodded, and the pair headed outside to go to the building across the street where PAX was taking place.

“At least we still have a bit before the panel,” Mark commented as they walked inside.

“Yeah, which means we can check out some of the vendors,” Jack agreed. As they wandered around, they were constantly approached by fans, getting a lot of hugs from them, and some even giving small gifts to them. When it got close to the time for their panel, the two men made their way to the correct area, where they were fitted with microphones. Jack had to shrug off his bag with Night inside for it, but kept the bag hooked on his arm, before lightly slinging it on his back again when they went out onto the stage.

After greeting the crowd, Mark and Jack sat down close to each other, and while Mark explained to the crowd why Bob and Wade weren’t there, the Irishman felt Night tense sharply against his back from inside the bag.

‘ _What’s wrong?_ ’ he asked him, since they were still connected, keeping an excited grin on his face so as not to give himself away.

‘ _…I’ll explain when we’re alone in the room later,_ ’ Night replied firmly after a moment, and Jack knew he wouldn’t budge on it, no matter what he tried. He didn’t have time to reply, though, as Mark finished his explanation, and he and Jack went into a fun little debate. At one point, Mark pulled out Cards Against Humanity, and by the end of the panel, both men were in tears from their laughter. It certainly seemed like the crowd was, too, based off the sounds from the people as they filed out when the panel’s time ended.

Once everyone was gone and Mark and Jack returned backstage, they handed back their microphones to a member of the staff before going back out to wandering around to check out what the vendors had for sale. The pair chatted as they walked, despite the multiple interruptions from fans coming up to greet and/or hug them.

Jack knew he was grinning like an idiot, despite feeling a bit overwhelmed from all the people, but he didn’t care. He was just amazed at how many people were fans of him and his videos. He’d never expected it, especially for his first con. He was pleasantly surprised when people kindly let them eat some lunch at the small food court in peace, though.

However, Mark must have noticed him continuing to go back and look at a dragon pendant with a silver chain and a black and white gem embedded in the silver dragon itself as though he was on the fence about getting it, because finally, when Jack decided against it and started to walk away, the alpha yanked him by the arm back over and bought the pendant himself before the omega could say a word. Jack gawked at him when the older man smiled and gave it to him, before his face burned with a blush as Mark clasped it around his neck.

“Ya didn’t have ta do that, Mark…” Jack mumbled shyly, lightly fingering the pendant.

“You kept looking at it like you wanted it, so I made the decision for you,” Mark chuckled. “Wanna head back to the hotel for a bit before getting some dinner? We’ll order in again.”

“Sounds good…” the younger man nodded with a grateful smile. When they got back, Jack told Mark he’d text him when he was settled in for the evening, and they parted ways into their respective hotel rooms. Jack slid the chain into place after the door shut, and then opened his bag to let Night out. The silver dragon was quick to come out, having shifted back once the bag was open.

“So, are ya gonna tell me what happened earlier?” Jack asked. His friend was clearly worked up, the end of his slender tail flicking anxiously as he breathed rapidly, his nostrils flaring with each exhale. “Night, what’s wrong?”

“…I sensed Shadow,” Night finally answered after taking a deep breath.

“Who?” the omega frowned.

“Shadow!” the dragon nearly snapped, before quickly lowering his voice. “He’s…he’s my twin brother. He’s the leader of our clan, too, while I ended up as his second-in-command, I guess you could call it.”

“Wait a second, I didn’t know ya had a brother, let alone a _twin_ brother,” Jack said, very confused now. Then again, he didn’t know too much of Night’s past before he’d been reborn as an egg, other than his capabilities and powers.

“Yeah, I do…” Night muttered, trying his best to calm down. “I…I honestly never thought I’d find him in this world, or ever again, to be honest.”

“How’d ya sense him?” the Irishman questioned.

“My telepathy. It kind of…reacted, I guess, to his presence, and it’s only ever done that with him. I felt his familiar presence when I briefly expanded my telepathy to check the crowd, but as soon as I did, I kept the connection solely to you,” his friend explained. “I don’t know why it happened near Mark, or if he was with someone in the crowd, but he’s here.”

“Can you find or track him somehow?”

“Not without giving myself away…” Night heaved a sigh at his own words. “It’s too risky, and it would just bring unwanted attention to myself. We can both shapeshift, but he has an ability that I don’t, like how I have telepathy and he doesn’t, which makes this even more difficult. He can contort light and shadows to make himself appear invisible, including hiding his scent. It’s a very good illusion.”

“Well shit,” Jack grumbled. “I guess we’ll have ta wait and see, huh?”

“Unfortunately,” the silver dragon mumbled. “Well, you better get changed and comfortable before Mark texts you, or else he’ll get worried.”

“Right…” the omega murmured, before rubbing his friend’s head soothingly. “We’ll find him, somehow.”

“Yeah…” Night nodded softly, sighing quietly as he calmed under Jack’s touch. Jack then straightened up to get some lounge shorts on and a t-shirt he could sleep in. Once he was changed, he picked up his phone and texted Mark.

Me: Come on over, Markimoo~!

Not even 30 seconds later, there was a knock on the door, much to the pair’s amusement. Night focused for a second before nodding to Jack, though, just in case. Since the peephole had a square of toilet paper stuffed in it, it wasn’t really usable to look through and check for who was on the other side. The silver dragon quickly hid on the high shelf in the closet this time before shifting into a cat, allowing Jack to close the door to the closet before opening the door to his room to let Mark in.

“Hey Jackaboy,” Mark greeted with a grin as he walked in. “Hungry at all?”

“Yeah, actually,” the younger man chuckled. “What are you thinking for dinner?”

“Eh, nothing major. We could order room service,” the alpha suggested.

“Sounds good,” Jack nodded with a smile as they headed to his bed to hang out. Once they sat back, Jack almost leaned into Mark’s side, wanting to cuddle with him a bit, but hesitated, since he wasn’t sure how Mark would respond.

‘ _Jack, just cuddle up with him. I highly doubt he’d be upset or push you away,_ ’ Night chuckled through their connection. The omega rolled his eyes while Mark was looking through his phone, before scooting closer to the alpha and curling up against him.

“Well, this is new, not that I’m complaining,” Mark chuckled, wrapping an arm around the Irishman’s shoulders and tugging him even closer.

“What can I say? I wanted my Markimoo hugs,” Jack smiled, sighing contently. “‘Sides, you’re like a fuckin’ radiator. It’s nice.”

“Glad I’m good for something,” the older man snorted, before picking up the Roku remote from the bedside table. “Want to watch something in particular?”

“Hmm…” the younger man hummed, before snatching the remote from Mark. “How about your Try Not To Laugh videos?”

“Come on! I always lose at them!” Mark whined. “It took me 23 videos to finally win!”

“I know, but they’re still funny as fuck,” Jack snickered, quickly going to the first one. “Why’d ya even try? Ya even openly admitted in them that you’re a giggly bitch.”

“Because I like a challenge, and even though I lost so many times, I had fun,” the alpha replied with a laugh. “You tried them, too!”

“Not nearly as much as you, because I know I laugh way too easily!” the Irishman argued, before cracking up at one of the clips in the video. “See what I mean?”

“Yeah, I do,” Mark chuckled.

“It’s mainly your reactions that get me, ya know,” Jack told him. “Seeing you try your damnedest ta not laugh makes me laugh.”

“Glad to be of service,” the older man grinned cheekily. They continued to watch the videos, laughing their asses off, but Mark cringed when they got to #19. “Aw shit… I remember the pain from this one…”

“Yeah, I felt really bad for ya with that one…” the omega told him sympathetically. “I was honestly a bit pissed that ya put yourself through that.”

“I was being stupid, and I should have known I would lose miserably,” Mark sighed. Jack then skipped to the next one, surprising his friend. “Why’d you skip?”

“I dun wanna see ya in pain…” Jack explained softly with a small blush. The alpha’s gaze softened, before he lightly tightened his grip on Jack for a moment, then loosened it again. They both paused, however, when their stomachs growled. “Okay, let’s order some dinner.”

“Agreed.”

While Mark placed the order for room service, Jack felt Night reach out to him through their connection again.

‘ _Keep an eye on the clock, Jack… I don’t wanna nag you, since I’m not your mother, but you guys need to get some sleep,_ ’ his friend reminded him. ‘ _Not only that, but I’d think you two would want to hang out a bit tomorrow since neither of you have panels. Just a suggestion~_ ’

‘ _Good point,_ ’ Jack agreed with a small smile. ‘ _I’ll call it a night after we’re done eating._ ’

Mark then put the phone back down on the receiver, before returning to holding Jack close. The omega curled up against him happily, before they resumed watching the videos. Their dinners arrived after #20, and they struggled not to laugh so much that they spit their food out as they watched the last three. Finally, they finished both their meals and the videos within minutes of each other, and Jack could feel himself getting tired, yawning widely.

“I’ll leave so you can get some sleep, Jackaboy,” Mark smiled softly, sliding off the bed. “We’ll talk in the morning about something we can do for fun.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Jack murmured, walking the older man to the door. “G’night, Mark.”

“Goodnight, Jack,” the older man replied with a chuckle, before going into his room and shutting the door. After Jack slid the chain into place and opened the closet door, Night hopped back down, already shifted back.

“I have a feeling he would have stayed the night if you’d asked,” the dragon smirked.

“I’m sure he would have, too, but I’d rather not have ya sleep in the closet,” the Irishman snorted.

“Eh, I would have managed. Probably would have needed a towel or something as a cushion, but I would have been okay without it,” Night shrugged. “C’mon, let’s get you to bed. You look about ready to drop.”

“I feel like it…” Jack mumbled, barely making it to bed without falling on his face. Slowly but surely, he managed to curl up under the covers, Night joining him shortly after and nuzzling into his side with a soft purr. Within minutes, both were asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so things might slow down a bit from here. I lost my job recently, so I'm gonna be prioritizing job hunting over writing this fic. Sorry, everybody... But hopefully, you all enjoy this! Next chapter will have some reveals~


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god, I can't believe I managed to crank this out this fast. I was working on it after posting Chapter 2 yesterday, and when I stopped for the day, my jaw nearly hit the floor when I realized I'd typed up 6 pages in about 2 and a half hours. But here ya go! Enjoy~

Morning arrived a bit too early for Jack’s liking, but with it came a small thrill of excitement. He was eager to spend the day with Mark, more than likely exploring Boston and having fun. Even though he’d spent the day with him yesterday on the panel and hanging out at PAX and spending time together both last night and the evening prior, he felt like today would have more meaning.

The Irishman sat up, yawning widely, before stretching his arms over his head with a groan, grunting a little when his back clicked in a couple spots. Night stirred next to him at the motion and sound, raising his head and yawning as well. He stood and stretched in his typical cat-like fashion, refraining from digging his claws into the blanket so he didn’t rip up the material.

“Morning,” the dragon murmured, before shaking his body out thoroughly as though he was trying to shake off the remnants of sleep.

“Good morning,” Jack chuckled, petting Night’s head a little before getting out of bed to get dressed and take his suppressant. Once he was ready to go for the day, he looked to Night with a small frown as he thought of something. “When’s the last time ya ate, actually? I haven’t seen you eat a morsel since the day before we left.”

“That was it. You know I can go for a few days without eating,” the dragon shrugged. “Didn’t want to risk leaving you by yourself so I could go hunt.”

“Well, go on and hunt. I’ll wait for ya to come back. You need to eat, and I don’t wanna risk you bein’ discovered if someone hears you munchin’ on an apple in my bag or somethin’.”

“Jack…” Night tried to argue.

“You need the energy, or you’ll be cranky by the time we get back to Ireland,” Jack pointed out. “And you and I both know it’s not fun.”

“Gah… _Fine_ , dammit,” his friend grumbled, knowing the omega was right. “I’ll be quick, though. Just gonna hunt in the nearby alleys. If Mark tries to come over while I’m gone, stall him somehow. I don’t want to have to track you down.”

“Dun worry so much,” Jack chuckled. “I’ll be fine, just go.”

“Right…” Night sighed, before opening the window and shifting into a bird before taking flight. Jack closed it right after, knowing he just had to keep an eye out for his return. The Irishman plopped down on the bed, wondering if Mark was up yet. He didn’t want to wake him up by texting him, so he decided to wait for the alpha to text him first. It took about 5 minutes, but Mark texted him while Jack was surfing through his Twitter.

Markimoo: Morning, Jackaboy~! Ready to explore Boston today?

Jack chuckled softly to himself, but since Night hadn’t returned yet, he had to stall. If Mark was already dressed and prepped to head out, then once the dragon returned, it would be fine. He then tapped out a quick reply.

Me: Just gotta take a shower, Markimoo. Can ya wait that long?

Markimoo: Awww, come on! You can shower later, I’m ready to go!

Me: Calm your tits, man. I stink after yesterday, so I need to clean up.

Not exactly a lie, though. Jack knew with all the people he’d hugged yesterday and the crowds at PAX that he’d have a bit of an odor from it all. Knowing he’d have to back up his story, he got up and moved to the bathroom, spraying on a little bit of cologne. When he got back to his phone, Mark had texted him again.

Markimoo: I’ll be impatiently awaiting! ><*

Laughing lightly at the message, Jack was smiling like an idiot, he knew it. God damn, he had fallen so hard for Mark. He was honestly surprised Mark hadn’t said anything about his behavior. Hopefully that didn’t mean he wasn’t interested…

A tapping sound at the window had him looking up, and he saw a silver pigeon at the window. Jack got back up from the bed and opened the window, letting Night back in with a smile and closing the window behind him.

“Better?” he asked once he shifted back.

“…Yes, better…” the dragon admitted with a grumble. “Sorry I tried to argue it, I just didn’t want to leave you alone at all during this trip…”

“I know, but you can’t starve yourself for my sake.”

“I get it, I’ll try not to do it again…”

“It’s fine. We gotta wait for a bit, though. Mark thinks I’m taking a shower,” the omega told him.

“Fine by me. We’ll wait about 5-10 minutes, then you can text him,” Night said.

“Got it,” Jack nodded. The pair lounged on the bed with the TV on, the channel on some random show that Jack honestly wasn’t paying attention to. Instead, he focused on petting Night, drawing a pleased purr from him.

“I’m surprised ya haven’t tried to check things out the whole time we’ve been here,” he commented after a few minutes. “I still remember strugglin’ to keep ya hidden from my nosy siblings when you were just a hatchlin’, especially since you were so curious.”

“I learned quickly that I wasn’t to be seen by anyone but you, and remembered how to shapeshift early enough that I could hide easier,” Night murmured, his tail flicking a little. “Thinking back, I’m glad you managed to keep me hidden, even though it was challenging cuz of your siblings being so nosy. But I’m not as curious anymore, since I can kind of see the world through your eyes thanks to my telepathy.”

“Makes sense,” Jack nodded. Looking at his phone, he saw it had been 15 minutes since he’d texted Mark last, and figured it had been long enough. He picked up his phone and texted the alpha, letting him know he was ready to go before pocketing the device. As he got up from the bed and tugged on his hoodie, there was a knock on the door, and Night chuckled, letting him know it was Mark. The Irishman grabbed his drawstring bag while Night shifted into a mouse, scurrying into the bag before Jack slung the bag onto his back and answered the door, his room key in his pocket. When he answered the door, Mark was standing there, grinning excitedly.

“Hey Jackaboy, ready to head out? We’ll get some breakfast and coffee somewhere,” the older man said eagerly.

“Yeah, that sounds nice,” Jack chuckled. “I’ll pay for my own shit, though.”

“Nuh-uh! I’m treating you today, so keep your wallet in your pocket!” Mark protested firmly.

“But Mark—”

“No buts!”

The younger man pouted, but knew he wouldn’t be able to sway Mark from his decision. Rolling his eyes, he gestured for the alpha to lead the way. Giving a little victorious smirk, the alpha led Jack out of the hotel, off to a nearby café. True to his word, Mark wouldn’t even let Jack pull his wallet out to try to pay for himself, and the pair left with a coffee for Jack, a tea for Mark, and a pastry for each of them.

“You’re such a shit,” the Irishman grumbled into his cup before taking a sip.

“I already said I’m treating you, so don’t fight it, Jackaboy,” the older man chuckled, making Jack roll his eyes with a small, fond smile.

As the day went on, the two YouTubers walked all over the area near the hotel, making sure not to stray too far so they couldn’t find their way back. When evening rolled in, the pair began to discuss where they could go for dinner when Mark linked their hands, but were suddenly interrupted when a gang of four large alphas crowded them into an alleyway.

‘ _Shit, this is really bad…!_ ’ Night hissed, and it only got worse when the thugs forced Mark back, despite his warning snarls and desperate struggles to get to Jack. Now the omega was cornered, his back against the brick wall, and his eyes were wide with horror and he shook with terror as the large alphas closed in on him. He vaguely noticed a crowd gathering outside of the alley, having been drawn by the commotion. He even (somehow) noticed many of the people had their phones out.

Jack felt Night’s demeanor shift through their connection a split second before his bag was forced open and the dragon shot out like a bullet, slamming into one of the alphas with an enraged snarl and startling the other three as he was thrown back. Night was then suddenly in front of his companion, baring his razor-sharp fangs and flaring his wings at the remaining thugs in warning, his tail lashing with his anger. The thugs exchanged a quick look, before making the fatal mistake of trying to get closer. The dragon gave another furious snarl and then lunged, swiping his claws at one of the alphas’ throats, slashing through the flesh like a knife through butter. Immediately, that one gave an agonized, gurgling scream, before collapsing to the ground, bleeding out rapidly.

The two remaining alphas tried to turn and run when they saw their friend slaughtered so quickly and easily, but Night wasn’t going to let them get away. He gave an infuriated roar before letting loose a stream of fire, incinerating them. They screamed in agony before burning to death, and the crowd that had gathered scattered immediately, cries and screams of terror filling the air as they ran. The first alpha Night had attacked began to come to, but he didn’t have enough time to react before the silver dragon tore his throat open with his jaws, blood practically spraying from the fatal, vicious attack.

Once they were all dead, Night spat out the hunk of flesh in his jaws, breathing heavily from both the adrenaline and his rage. He then hurried to Jack to make sure he was okay…before a familiar voice to the dragon called out to him.

“Night!!”

The shout caused him to abruptly stiffen, and he felt a cold chill down his spine as he looked back hesitantly to see a black armored dragon on Mark’s shoulder as the alpha approached. Despite his shock at seeing his twin with Mark, he knew Shadow was not happy with him, based on how he’d shouted his name. However, he was _not_ going to take any berating from his brother lying down. He curled his lip, watching Shadow warily as he hopped down onto the ground and came closer.

“What the hell were you thinking?!” Shadow demanded angrily.

“That’s a nice way to greet me after all this time,” Night snorted irritably. “I was _protecting_ my _friend_ , you jerk! What was I supposed to do, let him get assaulted or raped?!”

“I could have helped Mark to deal with it _without_ revealing our presence to other humans!” the black dragon snapped.

“And how was I supposed to know that?!” the silver dragon spat, bristling. “I didn’t even know you were in the human world until yesterday, and I’ve been protecting Jack for _years!_ ”

“Really now? Did that ever involve _this_ level of ferocity?” Shadow growled.

“No, it didn’t,” Night hissed, before snarling irately. “Do _not_ treat me like a foolish hatchling that overreacted! I was going on instinct, and you damn well know how I get when protecting those I care about.” The last sentence was growled lowly, obviously a reminder for their past. Shadow paused at the statement, before his anger seemed to fizzle out and he relaxed. However, all four of them tensed up in alarm when the sounds of multiple sirens approaching got too close for them to avoid being seen.

“We need to get back to the hotel, _now_ ,” Shadow said firmly. “We’ll discuss this further there.” Night snorted softly, knowing his brother was taking on the leadership role again, just like back in their realm, but moved over to Jack.

‘ _I’m sorry…_ ’ he apologized quietly through their connection, before shifting his stance as he became larger, growing to a size that would allow Jack to ride on his back. The omega climbed on quietly, holding on tight to his friend’s neck, not really paying attention as Mark did the same with Shadow. The flashing police lights and sirens closed in, but they were only able to watch as the two dragons flew out of the alley, taking to the skies.

‘ _I know you are, Night. Ya did what ya needed to in order ta keep me safe,_ ’ Jack replied, rubbing a hand along the silver-plated armor to soothe him. His friend was quiet, but the Irishman could tell he was grateful.

When they returned to the hotel (after taking a roundabout way than going straight there so as to throw off any followers), the dragons landed by the dumpsters behind the hotel, reverting back to their normal size after their friends had dismounted. Night shifted into a mouse and hid in Jack’s hoodie pocket, while Shadow climbed onto Mark’s shoulder and simply appeared to vanish.

‘ _Keep as casual as possible. We can regroup in Jack’s room,_ ’ Night instructed, causing Mark to jump in surprise.

“It’s fine. He can use telepathy,” Shadow’s voice explained, and the alpha settled down. The two humans then hastily made their way to the front doors, trying to look calm as they walked into the lobby and headed to the elevator. Soon enough, they got to Jack’s room, and hurried inside, Jack quickly sliding the chain into place as Night re-emerged from hiding, climbing onto Jack’s shoulder in his original form, and Shadow became visible again. There was a long moment of silence, before Mark finally spoke.

“Are you okay, Jack?” he asked worriedly.

“A bit shaken…but I’m not hurt,” the omega answered quietly. He sat on the bed with a heavy sigh, before looking to Mark. “…How long has Shadow been with ya?”

“I found him when I was 4, as an egg,” the alpha replied. “What about you and Night?”

“When I was 3, same thing,” Jack admitted. “I never wanted to reveal him, and not a single person but me even knew about him until now…”

“Impressive, considering he can’t turn invisible,” Mark commented.

“I can shapeshift, and it’s worked perfectly for us,” Night snorted, flicking the end of his tail idly. “The telepathy makes up for the lack of speech ability while shifted. And it’s been incredibly helpful. More than you know.”

“…He’s right,” Shadow conceded. “Your telepathy saved us more times than I can count…”

“At least I’m useful for _something_ besides brutally killing shit…” his twin grumbled bitterly, making Shadow flinch.

“…Look, I’m sorry I yelled at you, but now we’re all four in danger. People more than likely recorded what happened in the stupid alley, and those squad cars have cameras. Soon enough, the world will know Jack and Mark are somehow associated with us, and to everyone besides them, we’re strange creatures that are incredibly dangerous,” he sighed.

“I get it, I messed up!” Night snapped, before looking away. “Just… That was an ugly situation, and for you to berate me like that when I never thought I’d see you again until my telepathy reacted to you yesterday… It hurt.” His brother’s gaze saddened with guilt at the words, and he hopped down from Mark’s shoulder, going over to Jack and Night and climbing onto the bed.

“…Now I feel like the worst brother to ever live…” he mumbled. Holding out a clawed hand to Night, he waited patiently. Jack looked at his friend briefly, and then tried to communicate through their connection.

‘ _At least accept his apology, Night. You can’t stay mad at him forever,_ ’ he urged. The silver dragon nodded minutely after a few seconds, before hopping off Jack’s shoulder and, ignoring the offered hand, he moved in quickly to nuzzle his twin. Shadow tensed briefly in surprise, before nuzzling back, both dragons whimpering quietly.

“When my memory came back fully, I…I missed you so much…” Night told Shadow quietly. “I had never been without you for so long…”

“And yet, we’ve been so close, in a sense,” the black dragon chuckled softly, before they pulled back.

“Yeah, really,” the silver dragon snorted. “Fate works in mysterious ways.”

“That it does,” Shadow agreed. “Just like it did back home.” Jack frowned a little, curious, but didn’t ask. Noticing the look, though, Shadow asked the Irishman, “How much did Night tell you of our past?”

“Not much, to be honest,” Jack admitted. “But I also never asked much, myself.”

“Seriously?” the black dragon asked his twin.

“…Why the hell would I want to relive that crap I went through by sharing about our past?” Night whispered, immense pain in his voice. “Why would I want to tell anyone about how I was singled out by our whole clan because of my armor, insulted, beaten, and nearly killed because of it? How basically every mother told our mother that she should abandon me to die when we hatched? All of the other dragonlings were told by their parents to stay away from me, that I was a freak and they shouldn’t come anywhere near me, but when they did, it was just to taunt and beat me!” He breathed heavily for a few seconds, before growling, “And yet, not a single dragon in our clan did _any_ of that with you. In fact, the worst they did to you was tell you I shouldn’t exist as your twin, if at all. I didn’t want to relive that pain by talking about it ever again…!”

Shadow lowered his gaze, clearly feeling guilty, before saying quietly, “You’re right… I never think much about when we were dragonlings back then until that beast rears its ugly head to snap in my face like this… I’m sorry…”

“It’s…it’s whatever now, since the Dragon Realms are gone…” Night sighed. “Look, let’s just focus on what we need to do now. Do you have any ideas on where we can go?”

“No, there’s nowhere that would be safe enough that I’ve come across,” Shadow answered. Night then glanced at Jack, before smirking.

“You know where I’m thinking?” he asked the Irishman.

“Surprisingly, yes,” Jack chuckled. “Since it’s such a secluded place, we’ll be safe there. And considering it’s also just like a normal house, other than being a cabin, then we can be comfortable, too.”

“Wait, what??” Mark uttered, frowning in confusion.

“My family’s old cabin by a lake. We would go there in the summer and swim, fish, and have fun, but we stopped goin’ when we all got too busy after all of us kids moved out,” the Irishman explained.

“That’s perfect!” Shadow grinned. “And Night and I can get in some proper hunting, too!”

“Definitely. It’s been too long since those days,” Night nodded, before snorting. “I’ve resorted to basically cleaning up the rat problem wherever we go.” Suddenly, there was a loud commotion from what seemed like the lobby, and both dragons stiffened while the humans looked to the door in alarm.

“We need to hurry,” the black dragon growled urgently, before looking to Mark and Jack seriously. “Both of you, pack up your things as quick as possible, and we’ll make for the airport. If push comes to shove, Night and I can fly you guys, but it would be best to travel by plane.”

“Go help Mark. I’ll help Jack,” his brother urged. Mark hesitated at the door, even though Shadow was already invisible on his shoulder, looking back at Jack worriedly, but finally left when the omega nodded to him. “Let’s get your things packed up, Jack,” Night murmured, already moving to pick up his stuff he’d brought.

“Wait, what about tickets for the flight?” Jack realized. “We can’t board any flights without tickets, and there’s no way we’ll be able to get tickets once we’re there. We won’t have the time.”

“Dammit, you’re right…” his friend hissed. “Hang on, lemme let Shadow and Mark know. I’ll connect us all.” He focused for a second, and then Jack heard him through their connection. ‘ _Shadow, Mark. Jack just made a valid point. There’s no way we’ll get to Ireland via plane without purchasing tickets before we go. We won’t have the time to when we get there._ ’

‘ _Gah, forgot about that…_ ’ Shadow grumbled. ‘ _Mark, you mind if I pack your stuff while you purchase tickets?_ ’

‘ _Ah, yeah, I can do that,_ ’ Mark replied. ‘ _I’ll try to get the soonest flight._ ’

‘ _Sounds good. Text me when you get them,_ ’ Jack instructed.

‘ _Will do, Jackaboy,_ ’ the alpha chuckled, but even through the telepathy, it sounded strained. Night then ended the connection as Jack got up to help pack his things. He made sure to do a couple of walkthroughs, just to ensure he hadn’t forgotten anything. Once he was done, Mark texted him.

Markimoo: Got us tickets! The flight leaves in 45 minutes.

Me: You’re the best, Markimoo~ You guys ready?

Markimoo: Yeah, we’re set. Shadow suggested we sneak out through the back door, and he and Night will fly us to the airport. Anything further we can discuss on the way.

Jack showed Night the text, and he nodded in agreement, connecting them all again.

‘ _Let’s get out of here._ ’

With that, Night shifted into a mouse and hid in Jack’s hoodie pocket as the omega stepped out into the hall, holding his suitcase handle with a sweaty hand and adjusting his backpack on his shoulders. Mark left his room at the same time, suitcase in tow with his backpack on his back, and Jack could see the subtle indents of Shadow’s claws lightly gripping the older man’s shoulder as he joined Jack. The pair quietly made their way downstairs and out the back door, barely managing to avoid being spotted by the police going through the halls in the process, and their dragons shifted to their larger forms once outside.

‘ _We don’t have too much time, so hang on tight, both of you,_ ’ Shadow advised. Once in the air, Mark finally spoke up through the telepathy.

‘ _How are we going to do this?_ ’ he asked.

‘ _Considering the danger, Shadow and I will fly alongside the plane. Since I can’t turn invisible, I’ll skim along through the cloud cover, but remain as close as I can to the plane without being spotted,_ ’ Night answered. He then allowed only Jack to hear his next words. ‘ _You’ll be with Mark, and I’ll be close, so focus on that. I know it’ll be scary, but try to hang in there. We’ll be back in Ireland before you know it._ ’ The omega nodded softly against his friend’s neck, knowing things were changing rapidly and drastically, and he had a feeling that things weren’t going to be the same.

The brothers landed silently in a somewhat secluded area near the entrance where neither dragon would be seen, allowing their respective companions to slide off their backs and then reverting to their normal sizes. Shadow climbed onto Mark’s shoulder and vanished again, while Night once more hid out in Jack’s hoodie pocket as a mouse. The two humans grabbed their respective suitcases and then walked into the airport, keeping as calm as they could manage so as not to draw attention.

By the time they got their suitcases through the check-in counter and made it through security (shockingly not encountering any trouble in the process), they only had five minutes to get to their gate to board. Mark felt Shadow jump off his shoulder again, while Night split off from Jack with his twin once they got to the gate. Night gave a little wave to his friend before disappearing from view, though, which gave Jack a bit of reassurance that everything would be okay. Even so, the Irishman hesitated briefly, before giving a small, shaky sigh as he followed Mark onto the plane.

Thankfully, Mark had managed to make a miracle happen by getting them seats together, since the chances for that had been slim. Jack was a bundle of nerves as he tried to buckle his seatbelt, his hands shaking from his anxiety. When the alpha’s warm hands gently closed over his in a soothing gesture, the younger man looked up at Mark sharply, his ice blue eyes wide, before blushing as he mumbled a quiet thanks. The simple touch got him to calm significantly, and he felt his heartbeat steadily slowing down instead of racing in his chest as he buckled his seatbelt properly.

Finally, after the pilot and flight attendants had gone over rules and emergency instructions and whatnot, they took off, and Jack gripped the armrests to his seat tightly, as he’d never liked the takeoff or landing. He would be fine once they were properly in the air, but just the jarring motions wracked his nerves. He jumped a little when Mark kindly took the hand closest to him and held it in his own comfortingly, which actually helped immensely.

“Thank you…” the omega whispered, leaning against the older man’s shoulder.

“Anytime, Jack,” Mark murmured softly. “Try and rest, all right? I’ll be here the whole time.”

“Kinda hard to, considering…” Jack mumbled. “…But I’ll try…” The alpha’s pleased chuckle drew a smile on the Irishman’s lips, and he closed his eyes to try and rest. Hopefully he’d manage to sleep, and stay asleep until they landed.


	4. Chapter 4

A sudden, dull _ding_ sound was what woke Jack up later, and he raised his head slightly, a bit confused, before he remembered the previous events leading up to his current situation. Looking around a little, the Irishman realized that the sound that woke him was the pilot beginning to talk to the passengers over the speakers. Mercifully, he was announcing their descent for landing in Ireland.

As Jack lowered his head back to where he’d been resting it, he heard and felt a quiet hum underneath his head, and he blinked, startled, before looking up to see he’d been sleeping against Mark’s chest, the alpha’s arm wrapped around his shoulders. The omega was relieved to see Mark sleeping, as he was sure the older man was just as exhausted, if not more so, than him.

Jack smiled softly at the sight, but although he wanted to let the poor guy sleep as long as he wanted to, it was time to wake up for when they landed. He felt the strong urge to kiss Mark as a loving way to wake him, but knew that it wouldn’t be appropriate, since they weren’t a couple.

In all honesty, Jack wanted to be with Mark, and he’d felt that way since he’d become friends with the alpha way back. Mark was a genuinely good person, and cared deeply about his friends and family, as he’d shown time and time again. And to top it all off, he’s incredibly attractive. It was because of their current situation, though, that the omega wasn’t sure if there would be a good time to confess to Mark _at all_.

Shaking off the negative thought, Jack lightly shook Mark by his shoulder.

“Mark, we’re gonna be landin’ soon,” he whispered, and the older man grunted quietly before slowly opening his eyes.

“Ugh…” he groaned. “Man, I’m looking forward to sleeping in a proper bed…”

“You and me both, Markimoo,” the omega chuckled. “Sleep good?”

“Yeah, actually,” Mark nodded with a small smile. “Just could use more…”

“We’ll be able ta sleep at the cabin,” Jack assured him. “There’s beds there.”

“I’d like to think so. Can’t really picture you guys sleeping on the floor in sleeping bags,” the alpha teased.

“Definitely not,” the younger man snorted in amusement. They felt the shift in the plane as it actually started its descent, and Jack lowered his gaze with a blush as he said quietly, “Thanks for lettin’ me sleep against ya…”

“Anything for you, Jackaboy,” Mark smiled warmly. “I’m just glad you slept.”

“Yeah, really,” Jack agreed. “I’d have been anxious as fuck otherwise…” The older man frowned slightly at the words, but lightly tightened his hold on the Irishman. Jack didn’t protest in the least, and in fact welcomed the comfort, shifting a bit in his seat so he could be closer to Mark. They remained quiet for the remainder of the flight, even when Jack’s hand tightened its grip on Mark’s when the plane touched down on the ground. The alpha didn’t even flinch at the crushing grip, he just rubbed the Irishman’s back soothingly.

Finally, fucking _finally_ , the plane slowed to a stop at their gate, making Jack exhale shakily in relief. Mark gave him a sympathetic look, and once they were both off the plane with their backpacks on, they headed off to the baggage claim area and grabbed their respective suitcases. As they started towards the entrance, Jack felt Night’s connection link them before his friend began to speak through the telepathy.

‘ _We’re outside, to the left of the entrance. See you both soon,_ ’ he told them, before the link disconnected. Mark glanced at Jack and nodded minutely, showing he’d heard, too. Sure enough, when the two humans got outside and went off to the left, they found their dragons, both hiding in the thick, tall grass. Night perked up at their arrival, looking as though he wanted to jump into Jack’s arms in greeting, but he remained where he was, before he and Shadow led the pair further out of sight. Once they had gotten far enough, the silver dragon jumped onto Jack’s shoulder, nuzzling his cheek with a small purr.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” Jack smiled in relief, rubbing the top of his head.

“We were just fine. I was more worried about you, since I know you hate flying in planes,” Night replied.

“Yeah, you wouldn’t stop fretting over him to me the whole time,” Shadow teased with a laugh. “I told you he would be fine.” His twin merely glared at him briefly, before hopping back down.

“You ready to head to the cabin?” Night asked the Irishman.

“Yeah. The sooner we can get ta safety, the better,” Jack nodded. “I take it we’re flyin’, right?”

Night hummed an affirmative. “We’ll fly to the edge of the forest, at least. The foliage will be too thick to fly through, though, so we’ll walk the rest of the way.”

“How far into the forest is the cabin?” Mark asked, already dreading a long walk.

“It’s pretty deep in. But I never said _you_ guys would be walking,” the silver dragon smirked. “We’ll give you each a ride, no sweat.”

“We know you guys are exhausted,” Shadow nodded. “Well, since you know the way, you get to lead, Night.”

“With pleasure,” his twin chuckled, before both dragons shifted to their larger size, and once their companions were on their backs, they grabbed the suitcases and took to the sky quickly enough that no one noticed a thing.

X*X*X*X*X*X*X

By the time the group arrived at the cabin, both men were completely exhausted, and it didn’t quite help when their stomachs practically snarled at them in protest of being denied sustenance.

“Fuckin’ hell, I’m starvin’…” Jack nearly whined as he sat in the armchair. He was pleasantly surprised to see it was relatively clean, despite it having been several years since his family had been out to the cabin.

“Ugh, same…” Mark groaned, flopping onto the sofa.

“Well, lucky for you both, I come out here once a month to keep it cleaned up and stocked with some food,” Night chuckled, and Jack looked at his friend in surprise.

“Wait, so that’s what ya did when you would leave one day a month and plead with me to stay home?” the omega questioned.

“Yep. I wanted to be prepared, just in case,” the silver dragon shrugged. “Not only that, but it fed me, too. I would find rats in here in the winter, looking for shelter,” he added as he went to the kitchen. When he returned, he gave Mark and Jack each a bag of chips. “Sorry it’s not much, but I got the bare minimum when I would snag stuff from town. Besides, I didn’t want a bunch of wasted food.”

“It’ll tide us over for now, at least,” Mark assured him, before opening the bag and starting to eat.

“Shadow, would you be okay staying here to keep watch while I go into town and get some proper food?” Night asked.

“How are you gonna manage that one? You can’t steal that much and bring it all back,” the black dragon frowned.

“Who said I was stealing?” his brother smirked. “I can shift into a human, too. I stashed some money back at the apartment, so I need to swing by there to snag it, then I’ll get the groceries.”

“…You really had this all planned out ahead of time, huh?” Shadow said rhetorically. “All right, fine. I’ll stay here to keep watch for anything. Just don’t take too long, yeah?”

“I’ll go quick as I can,” Night nodded. “See you guys soon.” He then headed to the door, and once it clicked shut behind him, they heard him dart off, stirring up the leaves on the forest floor as he went.

“…And he’s gone…” Shadow sighed. Shaking his head a little, he then looked to Mark. “Well, I’m gonna wait outside to keep watch. I’ll let you know if anything happens.”

“Thanks, Shadow,” the alpha said. Once his friend had gone outside, and they heard his claws settle on the roof, Mark looked at Jack worriedly. “You look like you got a lot on your mind, Jackaboy. Wanna talk about it?”

The younger man flicked his crystalline blue gaze up from the floor to glance briefly at the other YouTuber, before focusing on the area rug again. Mark frowned when he saw Jack biting his lip, and he moved over to him.

“Jack, what are you thinking about?” he asked, placing a soothing hand on the Irishman’s back and rubbing slowly. “I want to help…”

“…I…” Jack started after a minute, before he closed his mouth and bit his lip again. Mark waited patiently, not wanting to push the omega any further. Several minutes in silence passed, before Jack managed to get out quietly, “…I dun wanna…cause any problems…”

“Why would you cause problems?” the alpha questioned, concerned.

“…” Despite the gentle warmth spreading along Jack’s back, he began to tremble from his fear of being rejected. _Especially_ since they were stuck together in the cabin now. There wouldn’t be any way for him to escape it. However, Mark seemed to realize something, because he paused in rubbing the younger man’s back before moving to kneel in front of him, taking hold of his hands.

“…Are you afraid to tell me you love me?” the older man guessed sympathetically, making Jack freeze up with a sharp gasp. “Because you shouldn’t be. I love you, too, Jack.”

“…You mean that…?” the Irishman whispered, slowly raising his head to look at Mark, tears in his eyes and tear stains on his cheeks.

“Of course I do, Jack,” the alpha smiled lovingly. “I care so much about you, and I’ve been in love with you since we became friends. You’re an amazing person, you have a smile that can light up a room, you truly care about others, and you’re beautiful. There’s no way I _couldn’t_ love you.” Jack blushed at the words, before giving a small smile.

“I could say the same about you…” he murmured shyly. “Ya care so much about your friends and family, and I honestly wasn’t sure if everythin’ you’d said and done for me since we got to meet in person was because of that or somethin’ more.”

“Nah, you’re special to me,” Mark chuckled. “As close as I am with Bob, Wade, and the others, I can’t imagine cuddling with them or anything.” Jack’s smile widened at that, before giving a shocked yip when the older man suddenly scooped him off the armchair and carried him to the bed in the next room, bridal-style.

“What are ya doin’, Mark?!” he yelped, wrapping his arms around the alpha’s neck instinctively so he wouldn’t fall.

“You and I need to cuddle properly,” was the simple quip. “And rest, too.” The omega blushed brightly at that, but didn’t fight it as Mark set him on the bed and curled up with him. Both men kicked off their shoes before the older man pulled Jack close into a warm, comforting hold. Jack nuzzled Mark’s cheek a little as he got comfortable, and then settled in the alpha’s hold once he had his nose pressed into the crook of Mark’s neck, where he could smell the warm, soothing scent of cinnamon, cologne, and pure _alpha_ from his scent gland with every inhale.

“…I love you, Mark,” the younger man said softly, kissing Mark’s scent gland lightly and making him shiver.

“I love you, too, Jackaboy,” Mark smiled warmly, doing the same with Jack and loving the scent of honey, coffee, and that signature omega scent from him. Jack shivered lightly as well, and then the pair fell asleep in each other’s hold.

X*X*X*X*X*X*X

When the couple woke later, it was to the delicious aroma of pizza and the sounds of cabinets and drawers opening and closing. Jack gave a small whine as his stomach complained, making Mark chuckle softly.

“Let’s get some proper food, okay?” he murmured, kissing the omega’s forehead softly. Jack nodded once, and pushed up from the bed, yawning widely. The pair perked up, though, when there was a knock on the door. After a short pause, Night opened the door and came in, carrying two boxes of pizza with his tail.

“Hey guys,” he greeted, smiling warmly at the sight of the two humans basically cuddled up together. “I got you each a pizza while I was out. Made sure to get it after buying groceries, though, so they’re still hot.”

“Should I even ask how you managed this?” Mark asked, quirking a brow in amusement as the pizzas were placed on the bed.

“Nah. But I won’t be able to do this regularly. Figured you two could use some actual food instead of just snacks, so this was an exception,” Night chuckled. “I’ll let you guys eat in peace and get some more sleep, kay? You can just unpack tomorrow.”

“Thank ya, Night,” Jack murmured gratefully.

“Anytime,” the silver dragon smiled, flashing his fangs briefly, and then left the room. Before he closed the door behind himself, though… “I’m truly happy for you both. You’re perfect for each other.” And then the door clicked shut. Jack blushed at the words and hid his face with his hands, obviously not used to the concept of being in a relationship still, let alone receiving approval about said relationship.

“Hey, don’t be embarrassed, Jack,” Mark soothed, tugging the pale hands away and kissing the Irishman chastely. “I’d rather he be happy for us than not.”

“I know, I’m just not used ta it…” Jack admitted. “Never been in a relationship before, cuz I was afraid of bein’ hurt, Night protectin’ me as a result, and…I was hopin’ to be with you…”

“Jack…” the alpha murmured. “Don’t worry so much. I’m the same. You’re my first relationship, too. I was afraid of Shadow being discovered if I dated anyone, but even then, that didn’t stop me from falling in love with you. I was to tell you about my feelings for you that last night in Boston while at dinner, but then that gang of alphas fucked everything up.”

“Then I guess it was meant ta be, huh?” the younger man laughed lightly.

“In a way, yeah,” Mark agreed with a chuckle. “C’mon, we’d best eat.”

Once the couple had finished off their pizzas, they snuggled up close to each other again, Jack tucking his head under Mark’s chin so his face was against the alpha’s throat, and he pressed a kiss to the tanned skin there.

“Behave, Jackaboy,” Mark mumbled as he shivered. “We need to sleep.”

“Fiiiine,” the Irishman mock-groaned. “G’night, Markimoo. I love you.”

“Goodnight, Jackaboy,” the older man sighed happily. “Love you, too.”

X*X*X*X*X*X*X

Morning arrived with bright sunlight filtering through the thin curtain covering the window in the bedroom. The two humans slept peacefully despite this, until the aroma of breakfast being cooked filtered in under the door, rousing them both with the promise of food. Once they were both awake enough and came out of the bedroom, both were greeted by the sight of Shadow messing around with a radio at the table and Night cooking pancakes at the stove. There was already a platter of cooked bacon, sausage links, and ham slices by the stove, waiting to be eaten.

“Good morning, guys!” the black dragon called, looking up from the radio with a small grin. “Sleep well?”

“Yeah, thanks,” Mark nodded, before glancing at Night, making sure his friend understood the wordless question.

“He insisted on cooking,” Shadow shrugged. “I wasn’t about to argue. ‘Sides, I need to get this stupid piece of junk working…” He gestured to the radio. “It’ll help to keep track of any activity that might come this way.”

“Gotcha…” Jack nodded, yawning again. He then went to his suitcase to get his suppressant.

“Hey, Jack, did you even take your suppressant yesterday?” Mark asked with a small frown.

“Nope. Missin’ a day is fine. Doesn’t affect anythin’,” the omega replied as he opened the suitcase and kneeled. After about a minute of pawing through it, though, he froze, before his motions became more frantic…and then he dumped out the contents and dug through everything desperately. “ _FUCK!!_ ”

The sudden curse startled everyone in the room, and Night immediately took the frying pan he’d been using to cook the pancakes with off the hot burner and darted to Jack’s side.

“What is it?” he questioned urgently.

“I-I can’t find m-my suppressants…!” Jack stuttered in a panic. “I…I think I left ‘em at the hotel…!”

“Dammit…” the silver dragon hissed. “And we can’t get you more anytime soon, either…”

“Why not?” Shadow frowned, confused. “Aren’t they over-the-counter?”

“Normally, yes,” Night replied. “But Jack has to take prescription suppressants. He’s had medical issues with over-the-counter ones before. And he just got his last refill before he’d need a new prescription _before_ the Boston trip. So we can’t get another prescription without risking any danger in the process.”

“Shit…” his twin growled.

“I…I dun wanna go into heat…” Jack whimpered, tears forming in his eyes. As soon as Mark saw the tears in those crystalline blue eyes, he swiftly went to the younger man, wrapping him up in a firm, comforting hug. Jack buried his face into Mark’s chest, a small sob escaping him.

“Jack, I won’t do a thing if you don’t want me to,” the alpha swore. “It’s your decision, though.”

It took several minutes as Jack struggled to calm down, but finally, he raised his head from Mark’s chest with a hiccup and looked the older man in the eyes. “…I want ya ta claim me…” he breathed.

“Are you sure? If you change your mind when your heat starts, I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to stop,” Mark admitted.

“I’m sure. I dun wanna suffer through it on my own…” Jack said as firmly as he could manage, considering his emotional state.

“…All right. I’ll be there for you every second of your heat,” the alpha nodded, before kissing the omega lovingly. Jack kissed back, relieved that he wouldn’t have to suffer through his heat without Mark. When they parted, Night smiled slightly.

“Well, now that that’s settled, let’s get you guys some breakfast,” he said, returning to the kitchen to dish up their plates. By the time the two humans had gotten to their feet and sat down together at the table, their plates were already at their spots.

“Thanks, Night,” Jack told his friend as he took a bite of bacon.

“Anytime,” the silver dragon chuckled. “I’ll see if I can’t catch some fish later for dinner.”

“Oooh, sounds like fun,” Shadow grinned. “Mind if I go with ya?”

“You know one of us needs to stay here, Shadow,” his brother chided. “But next time you can.”

“Fiiiine, kill-joy,” the black dragon grumbled, returning his attention to the radio. Mark chuckled at his friend’s reply.

“You’re acting like you did when I was in my teens,” he smirked.

“Hey, I can be excited! Besides, Night brings that out in me, and it helps that we don’t necessarily have to hide all the time out here,” Shadow huffed.

“True,” Night agreed, taking a bite of a ham slice. He then placed a smaller plate with bacon, sausage, and ham in front of his twin. “Better eat.”

“How can I pass that up?” Shadow snorted, before eating a sausage link.

“So, Night, I remember you sayin’ that Shadow was the leader of your guys’ clan before it was destroyed,” Jack said, before giving a teasing grin. “How’d he manage that when he’s so excitable?”

“Hey!” the black dragon pouted. “I’m not _always_ excitable!”

“I’ll agree with that,” Night nodded. “He always knew when to draw the line between being a friend and being a leader. Our mentor drilled that into his head early on after we agreed that I would be his…deputy, I guess.”

“So, what, you were the one who would become leader if Shadow died?” Mark frowned.

“Not quite. Only if he’d had no heir to take over for him. But he did,” the silver dragon corrected softly. Glancing at his brother, he only continued when he received a minute nod. “He had three young with his mate. There was his son, Kuragari, and his twin daughters, Kidate and Rinsei. His mate, Kikoku, was the leader of Emerald Clan. Unfortunately, Kuragari…was killed when he sacrificed himself to save us.”

“Wait, what…?” Mark breathed in horror.

“I’ll try to summarize as best as I can since it’s a really long story, but the founder of Diamond Clan, our home clan, was Ishu,” Night explained. Shadow was purposely focusing his full attention on the radio. “Ishu was mysteriously killed way back before our time, and Naiya, his successor, was killed later on, too. At the time, no one was aware of any heir to the position of clan leader. Our mentor took on the role temporarily, and planned to step down once the role was properly filled. Long story short with this was that Ishu was resurrected by a dragon mage from outside the clan territories, and he wanted to reclaim Diamond Clan as its leader, but couldn’t because of Shadow. We had to fight and kill him, but…” At this point, the silver dragon paused and placed a clawed hand on the back of his neck, his gaze darkening. He took a few deep breaths before continuing. “…Before we killed him, he placed a curse mark on me…”

“What does the curse mark do…?” Jack asked, concerned.

“…It makes it where I can easily lose control of myself and darkness clouds my mind if I become too enraged or the curse gets tapped into,” Night muttered bitterly. “It can’t be removed, so I’ve had to live with it.” He shook his head briefly to clear his angered thoughts.

“But when we killed him, there was apparently some essence of his dark soul that lingered, and when Kuragari came of age when he finished his training, that dark soul tainted Kuragari’s mind and made him go back to where Ishu was killed. He managed to use that lingering essence of Ishu to bring him back to life. When we went to fight Ishu and his army to save the Dragon Realms, Kuragari somehow cleared his mind of the darkness shrouding it and took a fatal blow from Ishu that was meant for Shadow…losing his life in the process. As you can probably imagine, I lost control because of the curse mark…”

“And the fight that occurred as a result was what destroyed the Dragon Realms…” Shadow finally mumbled. Looking to his twin meaningfully, he told him firmly, “I never blamed you for any of it, by the way. And I never will. I just believe that the Dragon Realms had been too far gone as it was, and the clash at the end was the trigger being pulled…”

“…I can’t even imagine you guys going through all of that…” Jack whispered.

“We’re meant to hunt and fight,” the black dragon assured him. “We’re the ultimate predators in the Dragon Realms, and especially here.”

“Well, after Night slaughtered those bastards in Boston, I can believe that,” Mark chuckled, lightening the mood.

“Hey, I’m not gonna hold back when the threat was very real at the time,” Night shrugged nonchalantly, but he was smirking. His expression sobered after a moment, though. “I know you guys settled things for Jack’s heat, and considering he’s already missed a day of suppressants, it’ll only be a couple more days until it actually hits.”

“Is there anything we should do?” Shadow asked.

“Other than keep watch and make sure they get food and water on occasion, there’s not much,” his twin replied. “It’ll be best for us to leave them be as often as possible.”

“Right…” the black dragon sighed. Mark knew the reasoning behind Night’s last statement, though. He knew of alphas that become _extremely_ possessive and protective of their omegas while going through heat, and since he hadn’t spent a heat with an omega before, there was no telling how he would react if either dragon intruded on them.

“We’ll just have ta be positive with this,” Jack said finally. “It’ll be okay.”

Despite the Irishman’s words, each of them couldn’t help but worry about what might come their way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so now you guys have a LITTLE bit of insight to my dragons' pasts, but I purposely didn't make this version of it perfectly accurate because I'm still working on the whole story. My dragons are part of my book series that I've been working on since I was in middle school, and I'm STILL trying to rewrite them... UCK. Anyhoo, I know this was a lot of progress for one chapter, but I hope you enjoyed~!


End file.
